Title: Biotic Surveys and Inventories (BS&I)
Date: August 15, 2001
Replaced: NSF 98-158
Biotic Surveys and Inventories (BS&I)
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Program Announcement
NSF 01-150
DIRECTORATE FOR BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
DIVISION OF ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY
FULL PROPOSAL DEADLINE(S) :
November 16, 2001 and first Friday in November annually thereafter
[NSF Logo] NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
[Small NSF logo]
The National Science Foundation promotes and advances scientific
progress in the United States by competitively awarding grants and
cooperative agreements for research and education in the sciences,
mathematics, and engineering.
To get the latest information about program deadlines, to download
copies of NSF publications, and to access abstracts of awards, visit the
NSF Web Site at:
http://www.nsf.gov
- Location: 4201 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA 22230
- For General Information
(NSF Information Center): (703) 292-5111
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Send an e-mail to: pubs@nsf.gov
or telephone: (301) 947-2722
- To Locate NSF Employees: (703) 292-5111
SUMMARY OF PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
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GENERAL INFORMATION
Program Title: Biotic Surveys and Inventories (BS&I)
Synopsis of Program: The Biotic Surveys and Inventories Program supports
basic research and collecting activities that are designed to discover and
document the biological species diversity of all forms of life on Earth.
The Program supports collecting, identifying, vouchering, and naming the
biota of a substantial geographic region, including oceanographic areas, as
well as expeditionary work to discover and describe biotic diversity in
poorly known areas. Knowledge of species-level biodiversity provides the
foundation for research in systematic and population biology, ecology,
conservation and restoration biology, anthropology, physical geography,
biological oceanography, paleobiology and other sciences. This basic
knowledge is necessary for monitoring and assessing land-use patterns,
global climate change, and the economic value of natural resources.
Research projects may address any major group or groups of organisms, from
terrestrial, freshwater, and marine environments, usually at landscape to
regional scales or larger. Permanent, well-curated collections or cultures
and Internet-accessible databases of information are expected as products
of BS&I support.
Cognizant Program Officer(s):
* Program Director, for Biotic Surveys and Inventories, Directorate for
Biological Sciences, Division of Environmental Biology, Room 635,
telephone: 703-292-8481.
* Program Officers, Systematic and Population Biology Cluster,
Directorate for Biological Sciences, Division of Environmental
Biology, Room 635, telephone: 703-292-8481.
Applicable Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s):
* 47.074 --- Biological Sciences
ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION
* Organization Limit: None
* PI Eligibility Limit: None
* Limit on Number of Proposals: None
AWARD INFORMATION
* Anticipated Type of Award: Standard or Continuing Grant
* Estimated Number of Awards: 20-25 grants awarded each year
* Anticipated Funding Amount: $5 million total anticipated
PROPOSAL PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
A. Proposal Preparation Instructions
* Full Proposals: Supplemental Preparation Guidelines
o The program announcement/solicitation contains supplements to the
standard Grant Proposal Guide (GPG) proposal preparation
guidelines. Please see the full program announcement/solicitation
for further information.
B. Budgetary Information
* Cost Sharing Requirements: Cost Sharing is not required.
* Indirect Cost (F&A) Limitations: Not Applicable.
* Other Budgetary Limitations: Not Applicable.
C. Deadline/Target Dates
* Letters of Intent (optional): None
* Preliminary Proposals (optional): None
* Full Proposal Deadline Date(s):
November 16, 2001 and first Friday in November annually thereafter
D. FastLane Requirements
* FastLane Submission: Required
* FastLane Contact(s):
o Ms. Elaine Washington, FastLane Liaison, Directorate for
Biological Sciences, Division of Environmental Biology, Room 635,
telephone: 703-292-7193, e-mail: eputney@nsf.gov.
o Questions can also be directed to, BIOFL@nsf.gov, Directorate for
Biological Sciences, Room 695, telephone: 703-292-8406, e-mail:
biofl@nsf.gov.
PROPOSAL REVIEW INFORMATION
* Merit Review Criteria: National Science Board approved criteria.
Additional merit review considerations apply. Please see the full
program announcement/solicitation for further information.
AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION
* Award Conditions: Additional award conditions apply. Please see the
program announcement/solicitation for further information.
* Reporting Requirements: Additional reporting requirements apply.
Please see the full program announcement/solicitation for further
information.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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SUMMARY OF PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
I. INTRODUCTION
II. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION
IV. AWARD INFORMATION
V. PROPOSAL PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
A. Proposal Preparation Instructions
B. Budgetary Information
C. Deadline/Target Dates
D. FastLane Requirements
VI. PROPOSAL REVIEW INFORMATION
A. NSF Proposal Review Process
B. Review Protocol and Associated Customer Service Standard
VII. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION
A. Notification of the Award
B. Award Conditions
C. Reporting Requirements
VIII.CONTACTS FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
IX. OTHER PROGRAMS OF INTEREST
I. INTRODUCTION
"We are at a critical juncture for the conservation and study of
biodiversity; such an
opportunity will never occur again. Understanding and maintaining that
diversity is
the key to humanity's continued prosperous and stable existence on Earth."
Loss of Biological Diversity: A Global Crisis Requiring International
Solutions.
National Science Board, 1989
Increasing rates of extinction of species and the loss of knowledge of
local species among indigenous peoples have created an urgent need for
scientific exploration to expand humanity's knowledge of biological
diversity throughout the world. In support of this goal, the Directorate
for Biological Sciences, Division of Environmental Biology established the
Biotic Surveys and Inventories Program in 1991. BS&I invites proposals to
discover and document biological species diversity of all forms of life on
Earth, with special emphasis on taxonomic groups of organisms that are
poorly known, such as bacteria, archaea, protists, fungi, and
invertebrates, and in geographic regions, including oceanographic areas,
that are poorly surveyed.
Elements likely to be common to all BS&I projects include the following:
(1) Collections -- natural history specimens, cultures, stocks or other
physical samples are the material objects of discovery, study, and
inventory. Methods of collection and curatorial arrangements for the care
and vouchering of samples must be described. Proposals to collect and study
organisms that have a minimal museum (or collection) tradition should
indicate this fact, discuss the form that useful collections or cultures
would take as well as their impact on future taxonomic practice in the
group, and present plans for implementation and curation of such
collections, stocks, or cultures. (2) Species inventories -- documentation
of the number, taxonomic disposition, and, where appropriate, relative
abundance of species encountered, and integration with prior knowledge of
species occurrences in the region under study, are required. Such
documentation may take several forms, depending on the current state of
knowledge for the targeted taxonomic groups, but all projects should
develop and begin implementation of plans for Internet-accessible products
in interoperable formats, such as species checklists or catalogs,
interactive keys or other expert identification systems, and taxon
authority files. (3) Specimen databases -- the collections newly made
during the course of the project, along with specimens or samples or
cultures already in repositories, should be identified in web-accessible
databases, for further use by scientists and others, with attention to
locality or other geo-referencing data to facilitate mapping and GIS
applications. (4) Education and Outreach -- field work to collect and
identify organisms provides attractive training opportunities for students
at all levels, and when conducted abroad, also presents opportunities for
international collaboration with host country scientists and students.
These students and colleagues should be partners in the research,
conceptually and logistically, to the fullest extent possible.
II. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Biotic Surveys and Inventories proposals should address the following five
topics in the Project Description section of the proposal, following the
Results from Prior NSF Support section (if required).
1. Taxonomic Breadth. Proposals must specify the range of taxonomic groups
to be sampled in the geographic region (or oceanographic area or
stratigraphic horizon) under study, and must justify that breadth of
sampling. Sampling a diversity of taxa is encouraged rather than a narrow
group of closely related taxa; sampling of major ecological assemblages --
soil microorganisms, vertebrates and their parasites, vascular plants and
their fungal endophytes -- should be considered where collecting methods
achieve economies of return. Surveys of single species or genera are
excluded from consideration, and surveys of single families will likely
have low priority. Estimates of the numbers of new species, plans for the
description of these new taxa, and electronic dissemination of information
on the new collections, cultures, or samples should be provided.
Collections or other resources currently available for the taxa of interest
in the region under study should be described, with plans for incorporating
information about these collections and taxa into the study. Summary
information on existing collections for the targeted taxa in the region
under study constitutes the preliminary data useful to reviewers in
evaluating the need for additional collecting. Include an estimate of how
complete the proposed survey or inventory is likely to be for the taxonomic
groups under study in the region at the conclusion of the project, along
with a brief discussion of your methods for judging completion.
2. Geographic Scale. The taxonomic range and geographic scale of the
project should constitute a natural and compelling biological focus and
need. Biogeographic regions or areas delimited on the basis of other
biological criteria are preferable to geopolitical units. Most BS&I
projects focus on landscape, regional or continental scales (for example,
the southeastern United States, the Orinoco River drainage). Proposals must
justify the need for a dedicated collecting effort on the geographic and
logistic scale proposed, and must explain why existing collections and
inventories are inadequate for developing conservation plans, assessing
economic value of natural resources, or addressing particular scientific
questions. Proposals that focus on little-explored regions of the world
and/or poorly known components of the biota (for example, prokaryotes,
protists, fungi, invertebrates) are strongly encouraged, as are surveys of
biota of Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) sites, both those within the
U.S. and those in the international LTER network (check the LTER website
for information, at http://lternet.edu/).
3. Urgency. The need for exploration and collecting may be substantially
greater for certain regions than for others, for reasons such as impending
habitat destruction, ignorance of critical components of the biota, or rare
historical events. If appropriate, proposals should indicate why an
immediate and intensive collecting effort is required. Justifications
involving endangered habitats, threatened sites, or disappearing resources
must make specific reference to the planned collection sites and to the
sampling strategy, not simply to the broad region.
4. Conceptual Issues. All BS&I projects should lead to better description
and documentation of the biological diversity of particular areas. Lack of
knowledge about the taxa and region, however, cannot be the sole
justification for a proposal. In the context of a highly competitive merit
review, BS&I proposals must make a case for substantial impact on
scientific understanding of biodiversity. The proposal should discuss how
the collections, species inventories, or other products will facilitate
ongoing or future research in such fields, for example, as phylogenetics,
ecology, biogeography, coevolution, paleoclimatology, or natural resource
management. Discussion of these conceptual links should be specific to the
taxa and regions under study, and may include plans for revisionary or
monographic work, biogeographic analyses, tests of hypotheses of
evolutionary or ecological dynamics, or substantive efforts to enhance
biological conservation status in the region.
5. Management Plan. The taxonomic complexity and spatial scale of most BS&I
projects are likely to require cooperative work by several specialists,
whether under the leadership of a single Principal Investigator or a team;
explicit management plans are required, with time and place scheduling,
delineation of tasks and responsibilities, and agendas for products at
regular intervals during the course of the project. Management plans must
address the following:
-- strategy, protocols, and timetable for collection, preparation,
documentation, and distribution of all specimens, cultures, stocks or other
material samples acquired during the study, with attention to long-term
preservation and curation of the collections. Investigators are strongly
encouraged to make use of appropriate Global Positioning System (GPS)
technology to record locality data. Costs of specimen preparation and
storage are eligible items for support; letters from curators of the
relevant repositories may be included in the FastLane section on
Supplementary Documentation.
-- development of databases of information associated with the collections,
including description of hardware and software components, the data model
and elements of the database(s), quality-control of data entry, capacity
for expansion, and Internet-accessibility including networking protocols
and integration with other electronic information resources. Maintenance of
the databases, like maintenance of the collections, will be a consideration
in proposal review; letters of support from Information Technology managers
may be included in the FastLane section on Supplementary Documentation.
-- permits or other required authorizations for the collecting activities,
and logistics of cooperative work, in particular with host country
scientists if conducted abroad. Prospective investigators wishing to
establish collaborations with foreign scientists should review the guidance
and opportunities provided through the Division of International Programs
(check the NSF website at http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/int/). BS&I projects are
expected to foster international cooperation, including the sharing of data
across international boundaries while at the same time assuring that
specimens collected today will be available for study by researchers (of
any nationality) now and in the future. Projects in the U.S. are expected
to adhere to the regulations of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Forest
Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, or other
responsible government agencies. It is expected that the rights of private
landowners will be respected at all times. Collecting permits or other
authorization documents in hand should be submitted through the FastLane
section on Supplementary Documentation.
-- training and other educational opportunities; these should be integrated
in the conduct of the survey or inventory wherever feasible, with student
partners sharing conceptually and logistically to the fullest extent
possible. BS&I grants are eligible for supplementation through the Research
Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program (see program announcement NSF
00-107, available on the NSF website at
http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?nsf00107) and the Research Opportunity
Awards (ROA) program, which supports small-college faculty in research
projects associated with the primary grant [see program announcement for
Research in Undergraduate Institutions (RUI), NSF 00-144, available on the
NSF website at http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2000/nsf00144/nsf00144.htm]. ROA
supplements and other supplements could be used to add taxonomic expertise
during the course of the project as collections accumulate.
Instructions to Investigators Considering Long-Term, Large-Scale
Inventories:
Projects to collect, describe, and catalogue a substantial portion of the
biota of a geographic region of continental scale, usually involving
thousands of species, will typically require teams of investigators and
entail complex logistics. Leaders of such long-term (10-20 years),
large-scale projects should plan for a series of 5-year awards,
anticipating one or more merit-reviewed renewal applications. Investigators
are strongly encouraged to consult in advance of proposal submission with
the BS&I Program Director concerning options for support of such long-term
projects. With prior written approval from the BS&I Program Director, an
additional five pages of text may be authorized in the Supplementary
Documentation section of the FastLane submission, in which the following
additional topics are addressed:
-- scope of the overall project and justification for the long-term
duration of the enterprise;
-- management plan for the overall duration of the project, with milestones
for assessing yearly productivity and progress toward the final goal;
-- team of experts who will identify species through the duration of the
project, or recruitment plans for the taxonomic expertise likely to be
required;
-- ability to process the large numbers of samples collected, including
curatorial processing and vouchering, with estimates of when collections
will be made available to other workers;
-- coordination with other survey or inventory projects in the same
geographic area;
-- anticipated products of the overall project including publications,
catalogues, and databases beyond those expected of all BS&I awards
(collections and Internet-accessible databases of information).
III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION
The categories of proposers identified in the Grant Proposal Guide are
eligible to submit proposals under this program announcement/solicitation.
In particular, institutions with personnel and interests in the broad field
of biodiversity study such as academic institutions, natural history
museums, marine and freshwater science institutes, field stations, and
botanical gardens should consider research opportunities supportable
through the BS&I program. Where appropriate, collaborating scientists in
foreign countries can be accommodated through consultant or subaward
mechanisms administered by the submitting U.S. institution. The same
mechanisms may be used to add experts from other institutions to the
project team, on a short-term basis or otherwise, as needs arise during the
collection and inventory process.
IV. AWARD INFORMATION
Based on recent fiscal year experience, the Program anticipates making
20-25 awards, as standard or continuing grants, for a total of $5 million,
subject to the availability of funds. Check the NSF website (at
www.nsf.gov) through the Biology homepages for listings of awards over the
last several fiscal years in the Biotic Surveys and Inventories program,
for guidance on the range and scope of projects supported
(www.nsf.gov/bio/deb/debsysbio.htm#biosi).
V. PROPOSAL PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
A. Proposal Preparation Instructions
Full Proposal:
Proposals submitted in response to this program announcement/solicitation
should be prepared and submitted in accordance with the general guidelines
contained in the NSF Grant Proposal Guide (GPG). The complete text of the
GPG is available electronically on the NSF Web Site at:
http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?gpg. Paper copies of the GPG may be
obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone (301) 947-2722
or by e-mail from pubs@nsf.gov.
Proposals should address the five topics described in this announcement's
Program Description. In addition, attention is directed to the following
considerations, which may require discussion and documentation.
* Surveys and Inventories in the oceans and U.S. Great Lakes: Proposals
to survey marine biodiversity that require the scheduling of NSF-UNOLS
ship time must include a completed NSF-UNOLS Request Form (NSF Form
831). The UNOLS form may be obtained from the NSF Division of Ocean
Sciences Ship Operations Program or directly from the UNOLS website
(at http://sio.ucsd.edu/supp_groups/shipsked/forms/NSFform.html). Mail
the completed UNOLS Request Form directly to the BS&I Program Director
(NSF-Room 635, 4201 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA 22230). If the project
requires time aboard non-UNOLS vessels, the proposal budget must
reflect the direct cost of ship time. Use of UNOLS or other ship time
also requires that permits to enter sovereign waters, in compliance
with international laws of the sea, be obtained with the assistance of
the U.S. Department of State if the researchers plan to collect
specimens in any nation's sovereign waters. The Ship Operations
Program of the NSF can assist in these negotiations. Contact
information can be found on the NSF website for the Directorate for
Geosciences, Division of Ocean Sciences at http://www.geo.nsf.gov/oce.
* Surveys and Inventories in foreign countries: For surveys in countries
other than the United States, include in the proposal a description of
established collaborations with scientists and students from the host
country, and how these individuals will be involved in the project, as
well as the arrangements for the in-country housing of specimens and
data. Arrangements to allocate specimens between host country
institution(s) and U.S. institutions may be made, but type specimens
and quality representative specimens should remain in the host
country. Prior to an award, PIs must document that they have obtained
necessary research agreements and all legally required collecting,
import, and export permits. These documents include those needed not
only to remove specimens from the field, but also those required to
export or import them across national boundaries, including compliance
with CITES regulations. Provide collecting-permit documentation in
hand at time of submission in the Supplementary Documentation section
of the FastLane submission.
* Surveys and Inventories in Antarctica or Greenland: Proposals that
involve field work in Antarctica must include information about the
logistical and operational requisites of the proposed research, and
any environmental impacts. Instructions on proposal preparation for
research in Antarctica are provided in the Program Announcement and
Proposal Guide for the Antarctic Program of the Office of Polar
Programs (OPP), currently NSF 99-93, which can be found on the NSF
Online Documents System at http://www.nsf.gov. Obtain information on
working in Antarctica from the OPP prior to preparation of a proposal.
All research projects in Greenland must be approved in advance by the
Government of Denmark. Applications for projects in which U.S.
citizens and U.S. nationals are involved in any way (logistical,
operational and/or financial support) shall be submitted to the Danish
Government through diplomatic channels (i.e., through the U.S.
Department of State and the American Embassy, Copenhagen) to the
Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Arctic Research Program of OPP
can assist in the submission of these applications, and should be
contacted for instructions prior to preparation of a proposal.
* Vertebrate Animals: If the proposed research includes the collection
of vertebrate animals, the Principal Investigator must respond to the
NSF Grant Proposal Guide (NSF 01-2a) section on required documentation
for proposals involving vertebrate animals; see the NSF website for
the OnLine Documents System at http://www.nsf.gov.
* Special Information and Supplementary Documentation. Provide
information such as letters of collaboration, collecting permits,
environmental impact statement and other allowed items as noted in the
current issuance of the GPG. Include letters of support and other
materials (such as the vertebrate animal care certificate, if
applicable) via the FastLane submission by incorporating the documents
as PDF files and adding them to the Supplementary Documentation
section of FastLane. This information is not counted as part of the 15
page limit of the Project Description.
* BIO Proposal Classification Form (PCF). Complete the BIO PCF as part
of the NSF FastLane submission process. The PCF is an on-line coding
system that allows the Principal Investigator to characterize the
project when submitting a proposal to the Directorate for Biological
Sciences. Once a PI begins preparation of the proposal in the NSF
FastLane system and selects any program within the Directorate for
Biological Sciences as the first or only organizational unit to review
the program and has saved the Cover Sheet, then the PCF will be
generated and available through the Form Preparation screen.
Additional information about the BIO PCF is available in FastLane at
http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/a1/BioInstr.htm.
* Color Images. For cost and technical reasons, the Foundation cannot,
at this time, reproduce proposals containing color. Therefore, PIs
generally should not rely on colorized objects to describe their
projects. PIs who must include in the Project Description very high
resolution graphics or other graphics where exact color
representations are required for proper interpretation by the
reviewer, must submit 12 paper copies of the entire proposal
(including a paper copy of page 1 of the Cover Sheet) for use in the
review process. This submission is in addition to, not in lieu of, the
required electronic submission of the proposal via FastLane. Such
proposals must be postmarked (or provide a legible proof of mailing
date assigned by the carrier) within five working days following the
electronic submission of the proposal, and should be mailed directly
to the BS&I Program Director (NSF-Room 635, 4201 Wilson Blvd.,
Arlington, VA 22230). Unless the proposal contains very high
resolution graphics or other graphics where exact color
representations are critical to the review of the proposal, proposers
should not send paper copies.
Proposers are reminded to identify the program solicitation number (NSF
01-150) in the program announcement/solicitation block on the proposal
Cover Sheet (NSF Form 1207). Compliance with this requirement is critical
to determining the relevant proposal processing guidelines. Failure to
submit this information may delay processing.
B. Budgetary Information
Cost sharing is not required in proposals submitted under this Program
Announcement.
C. Deadline/Target Dates
Proposals must be submitted by the following date(s):
Full Proposals by 5:00 PM local time:
November 16, 2001 and first Friday in November annually thereafter
D. FastLane Requirements
Proposers are required to prepare and submit all proposals for this Program
Announcement through the FastLane system. Detailed instructions for
proposal preparation and submission via FastLane are available at:
http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/a1/newstan.htm. For FastLane user support, call
1-800-673-6188 or e-mail fastlane@nsf.gov.
Submission of Signed Cover Sheets. The Authorized Organizational
Representative (AOR) must electronically sign the proposal Cover Sheet to
submit the required proposal certifications (see Chapter II, Section C of
the Grant Proposal Guide for a listing of the certifications). The AOR must
provide the required certifications within five working days following the
electronic submission of the proposal. Further instructions regarding this
process are available on the FastLane website at:
http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov.
VI. PROPOSAL REVIEW INFORMATION
A. NSF Proposal Review Process
Reviews of proposals submitted to NSF are solicited from peers with
expertise in the substantive area of the proposed research or education
project. These reviewers are selected by Program Officers charged with the
oversight of the review process. NSF invites the proposer to suggest at the
time of submission, the names of appropriate or inappropriate reviewers.
Care is taken to ensure that reviewers have no conflicts with the proposer.
Special efforts are made to recruit reviewers from non-academic
institutions, minority-serving institutions, or adjacent disciplines to
that principally addressed in the proposal.
Proposals will be reviewed against the following general review criteria
established by the National Science Board. Following each criterion are
potential considerations that the reviewer may employ in the evaluation.
These are suggestions and not all will apply to any given proposal. Each
reviewer will be asked to address only those that are relevant to the
proposal and for which he/she is qualified to make judgements.
What is the intellectual merit of the proposed activity?
How important is the proposed activity to advancing knowledge and
understanding within its own field or across different fields? How
well qualified is the proposer (individual or team) to conduct the
project? (If appropriate, the reviewer will comment on the quality of
the prior work.) To what extent does the proposed activity suggest and
explore creative and original concepts? How well conceived and
organized is the proposed activity? Is there sufficient access to
resources?
What are the broader impacts of the proposed activity?
How well does the activity advance discovery and understanding while
promoting teaching, training, and learning? How well does the proposed
activity broaden the participation of underrepresented groups (e.g.,
gender, ethnicity, disability, geographic, etc.)? To what extent will
it enhance the infrastructure for research and education, such as
facilities, instrumentation, networks, and partnerships? Will the
results be disseminated broadly to enhance scientific and
technological understanding? What may be the benefits of the proposed
activity to society?
Principal Investigators should address the following elements in their
proposal to provide reviewers with the information necessary to respond
fully to both of the above-described NSF merit review criteria. NSF staff
will give these elements careful consideration in making funding decisions.
Integration of Research and Education
One of the principal strategies in support of NSF's goals is to foster
integration of research and education through the programs, projects,
and activities it supports at academic and research institutions.
These institutions provide abundant opportunities where individuals
may concurrently assume responsibilities as researchers, educators,
and students and where all can engage in joint efforts that infuse
education with the excitement of discovery and enrich research through
the diversity of learning perspectives.
Integrating Diversity into NSF Programs, Projects, and Activities
Broadening opportunities and enabling the participation of all
citizens -- women and men, underrepresented minorities, and persons
with disabilities -- is essential to the health and vitality of
science and engineering. NSF is committed to this principle of
diversity and deems it central to the programs, projects, and
activities it considers and supports.
Additional Review Criteria
Reviewers of BS&I proposals will in particular attend closely to the
five topics of Taxonomic Breadth, Geographic Scale, Urgency,
Conceptual Issues, and Management Plan described in the section on
Project Description in their evaluation. As well, preference will be
given to projects with clear, convincing plans for Internet-accessible
dissemination in interoperable formats of the results of BS&I
supported activity.
A summary rating and accompanying narrative will be completed and signed by
each reviewer. In all cases, reviews are treated as confidential documents.
Verbatim copies of reviews, excluding the names of the reviewers, are sent
to the Principal Investigator/Project Director by the Program Director. In
addition, the proposer will receive an explanation of the decision to award
or decline funding.
B. Review Protocol and Associated Customer Service Standard
All proposals are carefully reviewed by at least three other persons
outside NSF who are experts in the particular field represented by the
proposal. Proposals submitted in response to this announcement/solicitation
will be reviewed by Mail Review followed by Panel Review.
Reviewers will be asked to formulate a recommendation to either support or
decline each proposal. The Program Officer assigned to manage the
proposal's review will consider the advice of reviewers and will formulate
a recommendation.
NSF is striving to be able to tell applicants whether their proposals have
been declined or recommended for funding within six months for 70 percent
of proposals. The time interval begins on the date of receipt. The interval
ends when the Division Director accepts the Program Officer's
recommendation.
In all cases, after programmatic approval has been obtained, the proposals
recommended for funding will be forwarded to the Division of Grants and
Agreements for review of business, financial, and policy implications and
the processing and issuance of a grant or other agreement. Proposers are
cautioned that only a Grants and Agreements Officer may make commitments,
obligations or awards on behalf of NSF or authorize the expenditure of
funds. No commitment on the part of NSF should be inferred from technical
or budgetary discussions with a NSF Program Officer. A Principal
Investigator or organization that makes financial or personnel commitments
in the absence of a grant or cooperative agreement signed by the NSF Grants
and Agreements Officer does so at its own risk.
VII. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION
A. Notification of the Award
Notification of the award is made to the submitting organization by a
Grants Officer in the Division of Grants and Agreements. Organizations
whose proposals are declined will be advised as promptly as possible by the
cognizant NSF Program Division administering the program. Verbatim copies
of reviews, not including the identity of the reviewer, will be provided
automatically to the Principal Investigator. (See section VI.A. for
additional information on the review process.)
B. Award Conditions
An NSF award consists of: (1) the award letter, which includes any special
provisions applicable to the award and any numbered amendments thereto; (2)
the budget, which indicates the amounts, by categories of expense, on which
NSF has based its support (or otherwise communicates any specific approvals
or disapprovals of proposed expenditures); (3) the proposal referenced in
the award letter; (4) the applicable award conditions, such as Grant
General Conditions (NSF-GC-1)* or Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP)
Terms and Conditions * and (5) any announcement or other NSF issuance that
may be incorporated by reference in the award letter. Cooperative agreement
awards also are administered in accordance with NSF Cooperative Agreement
Terms and Conditions (CA-1). Electronic mail notification is the preferred
way to transmit NSF awards to organizations that have electronic mail
capabilities and have requested such notification from the Division of
Grants and Agreements.
*These documents may be accessed electronically on NSF's Web site at
http://www.nsf.gov/home/grants/grants_gac.htm. Paper copies may be obtained
from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone (301) 947-2722 or by
e-mail from pubs@nsf.gov.
More comprehensive information on NSF Award Conditions is contained in the
NSF Grant Policy Manual (GPM) Chapter II, available electronically on the
NSF Web site at http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?gpm. The GPM is also for
sale through the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office
(GPO), Washington, DC 20402. The telephone number at GPO for subscription
information is (202) 512-1800. The GPM may be ordered through the GPO Web
site at http://www.gpo.gov.
Special Award Conditions
Special specimen collection conditions apply. The awardee shall ensure that
award activities carried on both inside and outside the U.S. and its
territories and possessions are coordinated, as necessary, with appropriate
Government authorities, and that appropriate licenses, permits or approvals
are obtained prior to undertaking proposed activities. NSF does not assume
responsibility for awardee compliance with the laws and regulations of the
country in which the work is to be conducted.
C. Reporting Requirements
For all multi-year grants (including both standard and continuing grants),
the PI must submit an annual project report to the cognizant Program
Officer at least 90 days before the end of the current budget period.
The Principal Investigator shall provide a summary, in the "Special
Requirements" section of each annual and final project report, of all
permits, licenses or other necessary approvals associated with specimen
collection. The information should include the names of all
permits/licenses/necessary approvals, the granting authority, date
acquired, duration, and the purpose of the permit/license/approval.
Within 90 days after the expiration of an award, the PI also is required to
submit a final project report. Approximately 30 days before expiration, NSF
will send a notice to remind the PI of the requirement to file the final
project report. Failure to provide final technical reports delays NSF
review and processing of pending proposals for that PI. PIs should examine
the formats of the required reports in advance to assure availability of
required data.
NSF has implemented an electronic project reporting system, available
through FastLane. This system permits electronic submission and updating of
project reports, including information on project participants (individual
and organizational), activities and findings, publications, and other
specific products and contributions. PIs will not be required to re-enter
information previously provided, either with a proposal or in earlier
updates using the electronic system.
VIII. CONTACTS FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
General inquiries regarding Biotic Surveys and Inventories should be made
to:
* Program Director, for Biotic Surveys and Inventories, Directorate for
Biological Sciences, Division of Environmental Biology, Room 635,
telephone: 703-292-8481.
* Program Officers, Systematic and Population Biology Cluster,
Directorate for Biological Sciences, Division of Environmental
Biology, Room 635, telephone: 703-292-8481.
For questions related to the use of FastLane, contact:
* Ms. Elaine Washington, FastLane Liaison, Directorate for Biological
Sciences, Division of Environmental Biology, Room 635, telephone:
703-292-7193, e-mail: eputney@nsf.gov.
* Questions can also be directed to, BIOFL@nsf.gov, Directorate for
Biological Sciences, Room 695, telephone: 703-292-8406, e-mail:
biofl@nsf.gov.
IX. OTHER PROGRAMS OF INTEREST
The NSF Guide to Programs is a compilation of funding for research and
education in science, mathematics, and engineering. The NSF Guide to
Programs is available electronically at
http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?gp. General descriptions of NSF programs,
research areas, and eligibility information for proposal submission are
provided in each chapter.
Many NSF programs offer announcements or solicitations concerning specific
proposal requirements. To obtain additional information about these
requirements, contact the appropriate NSF program offices. Any changes in
NSF's fiscal year programs occurring after press time for the Guide to
Programs will be announced in the NSF E-Bulletin, which is updated daily on
the NSF web site at http://www.nsf.gov/home/ebulletin, and in individual
program announcements/solicitations. Subscribers can also sign up for NSF's
Custom News Service (http://www.nsf.gov/home/cns/start.htm) to be notified
of new funding opportunities that become available.
Microbial Observatories. The Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO) has
announced a competition to establish research activities by individual
investigators or teams of investigators to develop and conduct research at
a variety of sites dedicated to studies of microbial communities over time
and across environmental gradients. The long-term goal of the Microbial
Observatories (MO) activity is to discover previously unknown microbes and
to describe and characterize microbial diversity, phylogenetic
relationships, interactions, and other novel properties by developing a
network of sites, "microbial observatories." The Program Announcement (NSF
00-21) is available on the NSF website at
http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2000/nsf0021/nsf0021.htm.
Partnerships for Enhancing Expertise in Taxonomy (PEET). In partnership
with academic institutions, botanical gardens, freshwater and marine
institutes, and natural history museums, the National Science Foundation
seeks to enhance taxonomic research and help prepare future generations of
experts. Through its Special Competition in Systematic Biology, NSF will
support competitively reviewed projects that target groups of poorly known
organisms for modern monographic research. Projects must train new
taxonomists (two per project minimally) and must translate current
expertise into electronic databases and other products with broad
accessibility to the scientific community. The Program Announcement (NSF
00-140) is available on the NSF website at
http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2000/nsf00140/nsf00140.htm.
Biological Research Collections (BRC). The Biological Research Collections
program in the Division of Biological Infrastructure (DBI) provides support
for biological collection improvements, collection-related databasing, and
research to develop better techniques for curation and collection
management. Collections may include natural history specimens, cultures,
stocks, or direct artifacts of organisms such as recorded sounds or
photographic images. The Program Announcement (NSF 98-126) is available
from the NSF website at http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?nsf98126.
Informal Science Education Supplements. The Informal Science Education
Program (ISE) in the Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR)
funds projects that provide rich and stimulating contexts and experiences
for individuals of all ages, interests, and backgrounds to increase their
appreciation for and understanding of science. The ISE program will
consider requests for up to $50,000 to supplement current research awards
from any NSF directorate to assist in the broader dissemination of research
results and to promote science literacy for the general public in an
out-of-school setting. The supplement can be used for any activity that
falls within the definition of an informal science education experience
such as media presentations, exhibits, or youth-based activities. For
further information, see the ISE supplement announcement at
http://www.ehr.nsf.gov/EHR/ESIE/resawrd/Ise-supl.htm.
Research in Undergraduate Institutions (RUI). Faculty members in
predominantly undergraduate institutions are eligible to apply for BS&I
awards under the RUI program (optionally, they may apply in a regular
proposal submission); the main difference between RUI proposals and
"regular" NSF proposals is the additional requirement that RUI proposals
must include an RUI Impact Statement that describes the expected effects of
the proposed research on the research and educational environment of the
institution. Single faculty members and groups of collaborating
investigators from different RUI institutions are eligible for RUI awards.
In addition, faculty members at predominantly undergraduate institutions
are eligible for support as visiting scientists with NSF-funded
investigators at other institutions through the Research Opportunity Awards
(ROA) activity, usually funded as supplements to ongoing NSF research
grants. See the RUI (and ROA) program announcement (NSF 00-144) at
http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2000/nsf00144/nsf00144.htm.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
The National Science Foundation (NSF) funds research and education in most
fields of science and engineering. Awardees are wholly responsible for
conducting their project activities and preparing the results for
publication. Thus, the Foundation does not assume responsibility for such
findings or their interpretation.
NSF welcomes proposals from all qualified scientists, engineers and
educators. The Foundation strongly encourages women, minorities and persons
with disabilities to compete fully in its programs. In accordance with
Federal statutes, regulations and NSF policies, no person on grounds of
race, color, age, sex, national origin or disability shall be excluded from
participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to
discrimination under any program or activity receiving financial assistance
from NSF (unless otherwise specified in the eligibility requirements for a
particular program).
Facilitation Awards for Scientists and Engineers with Disabilities (FASED)
provide funding for special assistance or equipment to enable persons with
disabilities (investigators and other staff, including student research
assistants) to work on NSF-supported projects. See the program
announcement/solicitation for further information.
The National Science Foundation has Telephonic Device for the Deaf (TDD)
and Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) capabilities that enable
individuals with hearing impairments to communicate with the Foundation
about NSF programs, employment or general information. TDD may be accessed
at (703) 292-5090, FIRS at 1-800-877-8339.
The National Science Foundation is committed to making all of the
information we publish easy to understand. If you have a suggestion about
how to improve the clarity of this document or other NSF-published
materials, please contact us at plainlanguage@nsf.gov.
PRIVACY ACT AND PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENTS
The information requested on proposal forms and project reports is
solicited under the authority of the National Science Foundation Act of
1950, as amended. The information on proposal forms will be used in
connection with the selection of qualified proposals; project reports
submitted by awardees will be used for program evaluation and reporting
within the Executive Branch and to Congress. The information requested may
be disclosed to qualified reviewers and staff assistants as part of the
proposal review process; to applicant institutions/grantees to provide or
obtain data regarding the proposal review process, award decisions, or the
administration of awards; to government contractors, experts, volunteers
and researchers and educators as necessary to complete assigned work; to
other government agencies needing information as part of the review process
or in order to coordinate programs; and to another Federal agency, court or
party in a court or Federal administrative proceeding if the government is
a party. Information about Principal Investigators may be added to the
Reviewer file and used to select potential candidates to serve as peer
reviewers or advisory committee members. See Systems of Records, NSF-50,
"Principal Investigator/Proposal File and Associated Records," 63 Federal
Register 267 (January 5, 1998), and NSF-51, "Reviewer/Proposal File and
Associated Records," 63 Federal Register 268 (January 5, 1998). Submission
of the information is voluntary. Failure to provide full and complete
information, however, may reduce the possibility of receiving an award.
Pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.5(b), an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a
person is not required to respond to an information collection unless it
displays a valid OMB control number. The OMB control number for this
collection is 3145-0058. Public reporting burden for this collection of
information is estimated to average 120 hours per response, including the
time for reviewing instructions. Send comments regarding this burden
estimate and any other aspect of this collection of information, including
suggestions for reducing this burden, to: Suzanne Plimpton, Reports
Clearance Officer, Information Dissemination Branch, Division of
Administrative Services, National Science Foundation, Arlington, VA 22230,
or to Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs of OMB, Attention: Desk
Officer for National Science Foundation (3145-0058), 725 17th Street, N.W.
Room 10235, Washington, D.C. 20503.
OMB control number: 3145-0058.